MESOPOTAMIA NEWS TOP OF THE AGENDA: NATO Holds Emergency Talks Over Escalation in Syria

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ambassadors are holding emergency talks (AP) today after an air strike in northeastern Syria killed at least thirty-three Turkish soldiers and Turkey announced it will no longer stop (Anadolu) migrants from crossing its borders into Europe.

The strike marked a dramatic escalation in Syria’s rebel bastion and prompted the European Union’s top diplomat to warn (Reuters) of a slide into a major international conflict. Since 2016, Turkey has prevented migrants from crossing into Europe (Guardian) in exchange for financial support from the EU.

Analysis
“[Turkey’s announcement] appears to be calibrated to force the EU and NATO to support Ankara’s new military operation in Idlib,” Bethan McKernan writes for the Guardian.

“Ankara is in a bind. They have to do something, but doing something means tangling with a more powerful adversary, Russia,” Aaron Stein of the Foreign Policy Research Institute told Al-Monitor.

CFR looks at Syria’s descent into horror.